Horse racing: Aquacade failure put down to low-level infection

Trainer Lance Noble has revealed the reason for Aquacade’s costly Counties Cup failure and says it won’t affect her Group 1 ambitions next start.

The high-class mare could only finish fourth after looming up to win the $170,000 staying feature at Pukekohe on Saturday, initially disappointing her in-form trainer.

But Noble soon discovered why.

“Like everybody else, we thought she was disappointing because she loomed up to win but didn’t go on with it,” said Noble.

“But when we got her home and looked over her, she had mucus down her throat, as we think she might have had a low-level infection.

“It is disappointing for us and the punters because you don’t discover that sort of thing until they are out under pressure but at least we know now what was troubling her.

“She’ll have the week off and we can treat her for that and she’ll be good as gold.”

Noble says at least the timing of the letdown will mean Aquacade can still be prepared for her main summer aim, the Zabeel Classic at Pukekohe on Boxing Day.

Victory in that Group 1 would provide a huge boost to Aquacade’s future broodmare value and Noble and her connections could then look at Australian targets after a northern summer that includes some other huge 2000m weight-for-age prizes such as the Herbie Dyke at Te Rapa and the Bonecrusher NZ Stakes at Ellerslie in March.

Also heading to the Zabeel is likely to be Saturday’s Counties Cup winner One Bold Cat, with trainer Robbie Patterson saying it is the perfect race to dip his hoof in the weight-for-age arena.

“We’d love to have a look at that and then the one race the owner is dead set keen on is the Herbie Dyke, so we would aim at that, too.

● Meanwhile, Josh Shaw tasted group glory with Hinepara last year and has got a craving for more.

The Horowhenua horseman came close to tasting it again last Saturday when Faraglioni was runner-up behind Campionessa in the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Shaw was rapt with the result.

“I was pretty confident going into the race and I was rapt that she ran up to my confidence levels,” Shaw said.

“The only question mark was whether she would cop the better track. I had no reservations about that and she handled it well.”

Shaw is now setting his sights on loftier targets and is eyeing a tilt at the Group 1 TAB Classic at Trentham on Saturday, December 9.

“Looking at the long-range weather forecast for Trentham and knowing she doesn’t mind a bit of moisture, we’re probably going to have a throw at the stumps and have a look at the TAB Stakes,” he said.

Shaw’s biggest wins came with Hinepara in last year’s Group 2 Avondale Cup at Ellerslie.

“Hinepara winning the Avondale Cup was a massive achievement. She went into the race under the radar and I had set her for that race for a wee while,” Shaw said.

“To come back and run second in the race behind Aquacade this year was a massive thrill for me.

“For her to come back 12 months later to show that it wasn’t a fluke was very satisfying.”

Shaw is enjoying running his boutique training operation out of Levin and is excited about the prospects of a couple of younger stock in his barn, including a 2-year-old half-sister to Faraglioni.

“You’ve got the use of whichever track you want at Levin. You can work on the grass every day of the week if you want. It’s not the hustle and bustle of a Cambridge or Matamata, it’s pretty good.

“I’ve got eight horses in full work and three or four breakers, and I have a half-sister to Faraglioni by US Navy Flag that I am quite excited about.” Additional reporting, LoveRacing.NZ.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.